the mighty 5

Utah's five national parks each anchor a travel region, inviting visitors to explore not just the iconic parks, but also the surrounding state parks, national monuments and small towns that weave texture into Southern Utah 

Imagine endless deep canyons, towering mesas, pinnacles, cliffs, and spires stretching across 527 square miles. This is Canyonlands National Park, formed by the currents and tributaries of Utah's Green and Colorado Rivers.

Canyonlands is home to many different types of travel experiences, from sublime solitude in the park's more remote stretches to moderate hikes through the Needles District to the opportunity to create your own version of one of the West's most photographed landforms, Mesa Arch.  

It’s no surprise that Arches National Park — located just outside Moab — is one of the top national parks in America. It’s a 73,234-acre wonderland of eroded sandstone fins, towers, ribs, gargoyles, hoodoos, balanced rocks and, of course, arches.

Delicate Arch, with its 65-foot arc, undoubtedly steals the show. It’s what Arches National Park is famous for, after all. But did you know it stands among over 2,000 arches that have been cataloged in Arches National Park? The park protects an awe-inspiring landscape that includes the largest proliferation of arches in the world, including popular rock formations such as Double O Arch, Broken Arch, Landscape Arch, Windows Loop and Tower Arch. 

Even considering Utah’s many impressive national parks and monuments, it is difficult to rival Capitol Reef National Park’s sense of expansiveness, of broad, sweeping vistas, of a tortured, twisted, seemingly endless landscape, or of limitless sky and desert rock. While Bryce and Zion are like encapsulated little fantasy lands of colored stone and soaring cliffs, the less-visited Capitol Reef is almost like a planet unto itself. Here, you get a real feel for what the Earth might have been like before life appeared, when nothing existed but earth and sky. 

 Bryce Canyon National Park is a high-altitude wonder and home to the largest collection of hoodoos on Earth. Silent forests of orange, pink and white limestone pillars descend into the vast Bryce Amphitheater.

It’s an environmental marvel offering unique adventures for travelers of all ages. Easy paths along the Rim Trail provide level walking and sweeping views of the canyon floor, while rugged routes like the Peek-a-Boo Loop or Fairyland Loop offer steep descents and encounters with towering rock fins.

Bryce is a year-round destination for exploration. Guests hike, ride horses, snowshoe through winter drifts, cross-country ski and view the Milky Way inside this certified Dark Sky Park. Local gateway towns of Bryce Canyon City and Tropic provide lodging and dining near the park entrance.

Zion National Park is a geographic phenomenon. This southwestern Utah sanctuary protects a rare, diverse ecosystem where the Mojave Desert, Colorado Plateau and Great Basin meet and produce a vertical eruption of thousand-foot-deep red-rock canyons that tower over the Virgin River. Visitors revel in a desert oasis of hanging gardens, slot canyons, monoliths, waterfalls and grand overlooks.

This crown jewel of Utah's Mighty 5 national parks offers adventure for all skill levels and ages. Find paved trails (Pa’rus Trail, Riverside Walk) for beginners, wheelchairs and strollers that feature canyon views and riverside wildflowers, or strenuous hikes (Angel’s Landing, The Narrows, Observation Point) that challenge experienced hikers with elevation gain and technical terrain.

Zion National Park explodes with activity. Hike, camp, climb, bike, tour a Zion visitor center or stargaze inside this certified internationally-certified Dark Sky Park.